236. AC/DC / Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap [Australian Version]. 1976. 3.5/5.

As they did a couple of times early in their career, AC/DC release both a domestic Australian version and an overseas version of the same album. There are a couple of song differences, and the track line-up is different, so there is a need to review them separately. This Australian release contains two songs that the International release does not, in "R.I.P. (Rock In Peace)" and "Jailbreak" as the substituted songs. These songs are very important in the context of the album.

Following up on the huge success of T.N.T., this album again contains some of the band's best known, most loved and most played songs. Everyone in the world knows the song (and most likely the film clip) for "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". It's a terrific song with a great riff, memorable lyrics and the perfect sing-along song. "Ain't No Fun (Waiting 'Round to Be a Millionaire)" is a slow burn, and probably takes to long to get wound up and going, sitting on the same riff and pace for the first half of the song. "There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'" harks back to the start of rock n' roll, a blues based rock song that incorporates a lot of repeated vocals with a blues solo from Angus along the way. It's a bit too repetitive and anodised for my liking. The energy returns with "Problem Child", a song much more like the AC/DC we know and a more suitable solo break from Angus. "Squealer" and "Big Balls" for me are very average songs. I like both to a certain degree, but there just isn't enough in either song to make me say "Yes! Let's play these songs on my random tracks tonight!" "R.I.P. (Rock In Peace)" is the second full-on blues number on the album, and for me fulfils the same thoughts. The blues are fine for blues bands, and I understand that the influences that these guys would have had would have been some of the blues legends, but apart from certain selections the blues bores me to tears. "Ride On" is a great song, a standout on the album more for the reason of its mellow tendencies, a quiet, reflectful tune that does seem to be out of place, and yet fits in perfectly within the album framework. It's not a song you would choose to  play if you are in an AC/DC rocking mood, but its place in the folklore is set.
After a long tough road, we finally get to the closing number, which is another of those classic, legendary songs, "Jailbreak". Again, everyone knows the song, and everyone knows the film clip. It is a great hard rock song, that closes the album on a positive note. When I first bought this album on cassette, I could play the first track, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", and when it had finished flip it over, and it coincided almost perfectly with the start of "Jailbreak", which I would then play. And then the cycle would repeat. To be honest, I think this sort of sums up my thoughts on this album perfectly.

In comparing this album with T.N.T., there really is no comparison. taken away the first and last tracks and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap would be classed as a very average album by anyone except hardcore, die hard fans of the band. I can add probably three other songs here that I would be able to put high up in the AC/DC catalogue, but the rest would remain in the middle selection.

Rating:  All in the name of liberty  3.5/5

235. AC/DC / Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap [International Version]. 1976. 3.5/5

As they did a couple of times early in their career, AC/DC release both a domestic Australian version and an overseas version of the same album. There are a couple of song differences, and the track line-up is different, so there is a need to review them separately. This International release contains two songs that the Australian release does not, in "Love at First Feel" and "Rocker" as the substituted songs. "Rocker" appeared on T.N.T. which was not released internationally, while "Love at First Feel" is exclusive to the International version (although it was released as a single only in Australia).

Following up on the huge success of High Voltage, this album contains a couple of the band's best known, most loved and most played songs. Everyone in the world knows the song (and most likely the film clip) for "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". It's a terrific song with a great riff, memorable lyrics and the perfect sing-along song. "Love at First Feel" is a great follow up, with a terrific groove and led by Bon's smooth vocals and Angus' guitar riff. "Big Balls" for me is a rather average song. It is likeable to a certain degree, but in the long run there isn't enough to really entrance me. "Rocker" is much like its title, a real back-to-roots rock 'n roll song, such that it could have been a 1950's cover version. The energy continues with "Problem Child", a song much more like the AC/DC we know and a more suitable solo break from Angus. This is followed by "There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'", which harks back to the start of rock n' roll, a blues based rock song that incorporates a lot of repeated vocals with a blues solo from Angus along the way. It's a bit too repetitive and anodised for my liking. "Ain't No Fun (Waiting 'Round to Be a Millionaire)" is a slow burn, and probably takes too long to get wound up and going, sitting on the same riff and pace for the first half of the song. "Ride On" is a great song, a standout on the album more for the reason of its mellow tendencies, a quiet, reflectful tune that does seem to be out of place, and yet fits in perfectly within the album framework. It's not a song you would choose to  play if you are in an AC/DC rocking mood, but its place in the folklore is set. The album ends with "Squealer", which for me is a lot like "Big Balls" earlier in the album.

There are some good songs here, those being "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Love at First Feel" and "Problem Child", but there are some others that don't really do the job for me musically. No doubt the hard core fans will see it differently, but apart from the fact that you can still enjoy material that isn't quite at the top of the tree, this has a few misses.

Rating: She keeps nagging at your night and day, enough to drive you nuts.  3.5/5

234. Alice In Chains / Dirt. 1992. 5/5.

Following on from their brilliant debut album Facelift, Alice In Chains came back with this follow-up, and stunned the alternative music world. Few thought that they could match the kind of anger that they produced on that first release, but they were wrong.

From the opening guitar in Dam That River it was obvious that Alice In Chains had taken themselves to another level. Layne's angst-ridden aggression-filled virtuoso's. Jerry's perfectly crafted 'killing-me-softly' lyrical sledgehammers. Their unbelievable harmonies, the blending of two voices that makes Alice In Chains who they are.

Choosing favourites is a bit unfair on an album such as this, but take Down In A Hole, Rooster, Rain When I Die, Angry Chair and Would? and you would have a pretty good list.

Memories : I saw Alice In Chains live on this tour at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, supported by, of all bands, Suicidal Tendencies! It really was an unbelievable gig, and even though Layne was not 100% (a flu he told us, though you had to wonder) he was still superb. I bought this album from the record club I was in at the time, and the day it arrived I was at home alone. I put it in my CD player – and it didn't leave it for weeks.

Rating : Just a sensational album for that period in music history. 5/5.

233. Rainbow / Difficult To Cure. 1981. 3.5/5

Graham Bonnet lasted one album as lead singer of Rainbow. Following his departure, a replacement was found in Joe Lynn Turner, and another beautiful partnership began.

The album itself is a mixture. While it gets off to a rollicking start with I Surrender and Spotlight Kid, it does lose momentum in the middle, especially with Ritchie's instrumental. The back half of the album recovers ground, but it is slightly disappointing after the great start.

JLT makes a solid beginning to his Rainbow career. The combination of Turner's vocals, Blackmore's guitaring, Roger Glover's excellent bass lines and the drumming of Bobby Rondinelli lay the foundations of a solid album. One does wonder in hindsight though where Rainbow's audience was coming from at this time in the early 80's.

My favourites from the album include I Surrender, Spotlight Kid, Magic, Can't Happen Here and Difficult To Cure.

Rating : The good is very very good, and the rest is pretty boring. 3.5/5.

232. Metallica / Die, Die My Darling [Single]. 1998. 5/5.

This was one of the singles released off the double disc Garage Inc. compilation, which comprised completely of cover songs from over the years. The single, Die Die My Darling is a cover of a Misfits song.

The other two songs were recorded live on their short tour to play the best of these tracks live. The first is Sabbra Cadabra by Black Sabbath, which incorporates A National Acrobat as well. The second is a medley entitled Mercyful Fate, which contains the Mercyful fate songs Satan's Fall, Curse Of The Pharaohs, A Corpse Without Soul, Into The Coven and Evil.

These were my favourite three songs off the 'new' section of Garage Inc., and they are all brilliant. Mercyful Fate live is sensational.

Rating : This is as good as a single release can get. Absolutely sensational. 5/5.

231. Ozzy Osbourne / Diary Of A Madman. 1981. 5/5.

Ozzy Osbourne’s story through the 1970’s with Black Sabbath is one of outrageous success, incomprehensible drug and alcohol consumption, and a messy break up that left him on his own and bereft of opportunity. The story of his redemption, of coming together with another successful band that recorded and released an album - Blizzard of Ozz - that helped put his name back in lights in the music business, is also worthy of his tale. What is more interesting is what has come to light in recent years about how and who recorded those first two albums, and the cut-throat way that several people involved were treated. It’s not a particularly happy tale. For anyone who is truly interested in what happened with the band, which initially was meant to be called The Blizzard of Ozz rather than have the album of the same name credited solely to Ozzy Osbourne as a solo release, and how things began to fall apart due to the single minded attitude of Sharon Arden, soon to be Sharon Osbourne, then you should most definitely read Bob Daisley’s wonderful autobiography “For Facts Sake...” which gives an in depth and detailed version of the events surrounding this time.

Beyond this though, the same line up that recorded the first album, Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, again wrote and recorded all the material for the sophomore release, Diary of a Madman. Given the success of that album and the breakthrough performance of previously unknown guitar prodigy Randy Rhoads on it, the chance to follow that up with even more diversified songs and put their stamp on the metal music world as it was at the time would have been uppermost in their minds. Ozzy’s former band Black Sabbath had had a major hit with their Heaven and Hell release at the same time that Blizzard of Ozz came out, and their follow up to that, Mob Rules, was released just three days prior to the release of Diary of a Madman. No matter what was being said around both bands, you can be sure all of the members would have been intensely interested in the success of the other.
Much like the preceding album, this album has a mixture of the true heavy metal songs as well as those that tend toward the side of the rock ballad style. The difference between these songs and normal rock ballads are the musicians involved, because with Randy being trained in classical guitar, as well of the beautiful off beat bass lines of Bob and then Ozzy’s terrific vocals, these songs are not mere rock ballad type songs.
Diary of a Madman kicks off with the brilliant “Over the Mountain”, with Lee Kerslake’s wonderful rolling drum intro bursting into Randy’s guitar riff to get the album off to a great start. This is such a terrific opening track, filled with everything that made this version of the band so good, that it is hard to believe that it has been played live so little. It remains one of my favourite Ozzy songs. “Flying High Again” and “Believer” were both played on the tour that followed this album, before the album had even been released in many areas. The live album Tribute has them as part of its track list, and both are highlighted by Randy’s guitar riffs and soloing. “Flying High Again” feels as though it could have been aimed at the commercial market but without losing its distinct metal features, though sales did not back up that assertion. “Believer” has a much heavier sound and finishes off the first side of the album in style. Between these two songs came “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll”, one of the rock songs that moves into that softer territory, until you reach the solo of course, where Randy really turns the dial up. The melodic guitar throughout sets the mood of the song perfectly, and it sits in a great place. When I first got this album I used to play this song over and over and just bathe in its excellence, because it is an anthem without the fist pumping, it just says its piece matter of factly, and neither the message of the music take anything away from the other. It is still a wonderful song.

The second side of the album is a different mix altogether, with “Little Dolls” and “Tonight” both the kind of songs that you would never ever consider when you think of the Ozzy Osbourne catalogue. They aren’t obscure as such, but they are ones that pale against the great songs that surround them and so aren’t always front and centre in your mind. Both are great in their own way, “Little Dolls” through the hard driving rhythm of the bass and drums in particular, and “Tonight” as the ballad where Bob’s bass in prominent in being the centre of the song before Randy’s solo in particular steals the show. Ozzy’s vocals here too, as with most of his songs of this style, are at their peak, and are a major reason why Ozzy makes these kind of songs so enjoyable.
Perhaps the best song on the album is “S.A.T.O”, a bombastic hard core fast paced song driven by all three instruments rifling along with great power. I love everything about this song – Lee's drumming is perfect for the feel, Bob’s bass rumbling along the bottom end but still jumping up the strings and the fretboard to have its own unique part of the song, Randy chugging along on guitar before unleashing yet another brilliant solo that steals the show, while Ozzy’s vocals are top shelf. Another of my favourite all time Ozzy songs. And the album ends with the title track which mixes heavy metal with acoustic and the gothic to create an amazing epic song that completes the album in perfection.

I have always had some trouble determining which album of Ozzy’s I have loved best – Blizzard of Ozz or Diary of a Madman, not because they are similar but because each has their positive strengths and their very very slight weaknesses. Back in that magical year of 1986 when I was beginning to discover the dark arts of 1970 and 1980’s heavy metal, I had both albums in a gatefold double album, and I never listened to one without then listening to the other. They are both such extraordinary albums, and I can still see myself sitting in my parents' lounge room in front of the stereo listening to them.
Because that first album introduced me to this foursome, I always think that Diary of a Madman is a triumph because they came back not long after this album’s recording and release, having done the first part of what became a two-part tour, and then wrote and recorded this album. And everything about it seems better. Lee’s drumming is better, more rounded, more settled in the music written, given on this album he was a much bigger part of it rather than coming in late to just perform it as he was on Blizzard of Ozz. Bob’s bass guitar just perforates through each song once again, and it is the little things he throws in that can sometimes make the song, rather than just sitting in the same easy bass riff that WOULD have suited the song, but because he adds bits it makes them even better. And Randy’s playing has grown again, and it isn’t only the solos in the songs that create his standout performance, but the slower and more technical riffs and runs that come across, certainly in the slower songs, where you hear just the kind of guitar player he was becoming. And of course there is Ozzy, who despite the alcohol and drugs and the other distractions that were going on in his life, still managed to sing these songs in a most amazing way, clear, distinct, at a level that is at times astounding.

I listen to this album, and still wonder just what this foursome could have achieved beyond this is if they had been allowed to grow at their own speed and look to take on the world. Because when I listen to it I can still try to imagine what album would have come next, what songs they would have produced, and where that might have taken them. Of course, this was not to be. Bob and Lee were fired from the band after the recording of the album while on holidays, and were replaced on the tour that followed by Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge. It seemed they had asked for too much in the eyes of one Sharon Arden and were moved along pretty quickly. And of course even more tragically was the death of Randy in a light plane crash on that tour. The band that had created these classics was no more. Bob was to come back several times over the years and either write or record or both with Ozzy, but that was never the same. And the albums that came after this were fantastic with their own stories to tell. But there is always a lingering moment where what could have come from a third album by Rhoads, Daisley, Kerslake and Osbourne still fascinates me.

230. Slayer / Diabolus In Musica. 1998. 3.5/5.

Four years between albums was a long wait for Slayer fans for new material – something they would have to get used to...

This album is immensely popular amongst Slayer fans, with quite a few (on the forums I go to anyway) ranking it as high as 2nd all time.
I'm actually not so sold on it as that. I've always enjoyed the album – certainly when it was released it got a hammering having waited so long for a follow-up to Divine Intervention – but there is something that I find is not as enjoyable as so many of their other albums. I am however unable to put my finger on what that is, but I guess it is that to me the songs just don't quite click together like a good Slayer album does.
When I mention this, I usually get torn to shreds...

So I guess I am in the minority, but that happens a lot.

My favourites from the album include Stain Of Mind, Overt Enemy, Love To Hate and In The Name Of God.

Rating : Either the album is missing something... or I am... 3.5/5.

229. Primal Fear / Devil's Ground. 2003. 4.5/5.

The next in the Primal Fear collection, and this takes an even greater leap into the upper echelons of modern metal greatness.
The stage is set as Ralf Scheepers screams out “METAL IS FOREVER!!” as the first thing you hear on the album, and from there it only gets better.

Though everything this band has done has been metal, this is another leap forward. This is really fast, and really heavy, in a heavy metal way. On this album, Primal Fear have taken all of the best aspects from power metal, heavy metal, thrash metal and speed metal, and fused them into an absolutely brilliant and exciting album.

So why is it that this band has almost no exposure outside of Europe? I still find it amazing. If this had been marketed and promoted in the right way, every fan of heavy metal in the world would have become a fan of this album and band, I am sure of it. The musicianship is just fantastic, and Ralf's vocals have lost nothing over the years. They are a terrific package.

Choosing my favourites here is like listing the entire contents of the album. If forced to do so, I would choose Metal Is Forever, Suicide And Mania, Visions Of Fate, The Healer, Soulchaser and Heart Of A Brave.

Rating : One of the very good surprises I received in 2003. Magnificent. 4.5/5

228. Ratt / Detonator. 1990. 3.5/5

More of the same from the boys, who head into the new decade with the same formula that has got them through the 80's.

This is a catchy album, in a repetitive kind of way. You can put it on, as I did at work tonight, and tap away to it, or bop your head, or whatever it is you tend to do when an album with a beat comes on. And that is all fine and well. I use this as a technique to decide if I can listen to an album. So it works on that level.
But it doesn't really offer anything new, and this was the problem for me when I first got it. I put it on and enjoyed it for what it offered. But it had nothing that makes me keep wanting to come back to it! Whereas Out Of The Cellar and Invasion Of Your Privacy have that magical quality that lead you to putting on the disc time and again, this really doesn't have that. I like the album and I enjoy listening to it... but that indefinable quality is missing.

Favourites for me on the album include Shame Shame Shame, Hard Time, Heads I Win Tails You Lose, Can't Wait On Love and All Or Nothing.

Rating : I may appear to be bagging this album a bit, but I'm trying not to. It is a good album and easily listened to, with Ratt's distinctive style. 3.5/5.

227. KISS / Destroyer. 1976. 5/5.

One of the most beloved albums of all time by all music lovers, and it's no wonder.

There are some albums that, in retrospect, you could not have packed any more hits into. That the pedigree of most of the songs on the album are so great that the band must have sometimes wondered why they either didn't spread them over two albums, or how they wrote that kind of quality song so frequently at that stage of their career.

OK, maybe that is a bit extreme. But the great songs on this album – and I'm talking Detroit Rock City, King Of The Night Time World, God Of Thunder, Do You Love Me and Shout It Out Loud – are some of the best KISS ever wrote, and they all appear here. Along with that, the remainder of the album contains no songs that could be called filler, they are all good songs in their own respect.

Beth, of course, is considered by many fans as one of their greats. It's far too wimpy for me, but I can't let that drag down my opinion of the album as a whole.

This is a killer album, one of the best you can get your hands on. This is KISS at the peak of their powers, doing what they do best.

Rating : Do yourself a favour. This is one of the best all-genre albums you can hope to find. 5/5.

226. Demons & Wizards / Demons & Wizards. 1999. 3.5/5.

This is the side project of Blind Guardian lead singer Hansi Kürsch and Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer, and a bloody impressive effort it is too. Is it a crime to say that I like it more than I like Blind Guardian? Possibly. But I do believe it is true.

This is definitive power metal, and for a side project is very well done. The album flows nicely, each song complementing the next Those that are familiar with the two 'parent' bands work will know what to expect here, a nice blending of their styles. The generally fast pace of the songs is also well complemented by the quiet acoustic passages.

My favourites from the album include Heaven's Denied, Poor Man's Crusade, Blood On My Hands and Tear Down The Wall.

Rating : You will have to be a fan of the genre to enjoy this – it is not for all tastes that is for sure. 3.5/5.

225. Testament / Demonic. 1997. 3/5.

The boys went pretty hard on this release, looking to emulate what they had produced beforehand, and also looking for new horizons in front of them.

Does it really work though? I mean, I like the album, don't get me wrong, and there is some good stuff on here. But I wonder whether they really thought through the writing process. Most of the songs on here exhibit the same characteristics, and while that isn't always a bad thing, with Testament's sound, it can get a little repetitive.

Aside from that, Demonic is another solid album. Best for me include The Burning Times, Together As One, Hatreds Rise and Murky Waters.

Rating : More preaching from the Testament. 3/5.

224. Judas Priest / Demolition. 2001. 2.5/5.

What surprises me most about this album is that what appeared to be glaring mistakes that were made by the band on their previous album Jugulator, in that the band moved away from their roots and fan base and having employed a singer who could do justice to their old material then completely wasted that talent in the songs that were written, were not rectified on this release. The arguments for and against what was written and recorded for the Demolitionalbum can become quite heated if you can find enough fans of what was done here to argue against those that felt Judas Priest was a different band than this. There aren’t many out there. And before you come at me suggesting I am missing the point of the album, just hear me out, because Priest had a real opportunity here to make themselves a viable proposition into the new millennium with their adopted lead singer, and I think they missed a trick through pride and perhaps jealousy.

Halford’s Resurrection hit the shelves the previous year from this being released while Priest were on a World Tour with Ripper on vocals, and it was almost like the Priest album that should have followed Painkiller, It was fast, it was furious, it was powerful, it had heavy guitars, fast drums, and Halford’s trademark screaming vocals. It was exciting, it was heart-thumping, it was Judas Priest metal. Like he had done for Bruce Dickinson before, Roy Z had taken an icon and brought him back from the edge. By now Dickinson had returned to his band Iron Maiden, and many now started hoping for the same reunion for Halford and Priest.
On the back of this, Judas Priest could have easily come up with a back-to-the-roots album, revived the halcyon days of the band, allowed Ripper full range in his vocals to exploit what he could do, and they could have challenged the perception that without Halford they were nothing. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that. Whether it was simply because the writers were happy with the material they were writing, or whether they decided that they needed to remain on the track they were on so as not to be compared to what Halford had released, or whether out of stubborn pride or jealousy they insisted on sticking to their guns and staying in the industrial metal like atmosphere they had created rather than admit that perhaps what they needed to do was move back in the direction their former vocalist had taken – I don’t know. All I know is at the time that this was released I thought they had missed a trick. It didn’t stop me from listening to the album dozens of time in an effort to glean as much from it as I could, but nagging at the back of my mind was the memory of Halford’s scream to start his album, and the opening riff, and how that had grabbed me from the outset, while this didn’t have any of that.
“Machine Man” opens up the album well enough and with enough pace to drag in the faithful for a hopeful renaissance. “One on One” holds the interest because Ripper is able to give it enough attitude and pump to make what is a fairly standard sounding track a bit of bite in the vocals, even given the sometimes dire lyrics. “Devil Digger” is one of the better songs here, while “Bloodsuckers” is the one song that feels as though it has the spirit of the band at its heart. This is the one song where all parts of Ripper’s range are utilised and it is all the better for it. Just three or four more songs like this would have made all the difference in the long run. “Feed on Me”, “Subterfuge” and “Cyberface” all have their moments as well.
On the other hand there are songs such as “Hell is Home” which is a death march, slow sombre and downright dull musically and lyrically. “Close to You” is an abomination, an attempt at a power ballad of sorts but it really misses the mark badly. The rest is not terribly bad but it is also not terribly good either. It doesn’t grab you or excite you.
Still despite all that is said, it is not a completely bad album. I can still put it on and like a lot of it, especially those songs that I mentioned. At 70 minutes it is overlong and could really have been improved by being cut back to about 50 minutes and having four songs cut off completely. Perhaps the producer and the band just weren’t harsh enough on the material they had and thought that more equals better. That is not the case in this instance.

This was the conclusion of the short reign of Tim “Ripper” Owens in Judas Priest and while his live performances kept the band relevant, the material from the two albums he was a part of doesn’t really do him or the band justice. There are sparkles here and there in places on Demolition but this just doesn’t sound like Judas Priest musically which is what hurts it most of all.

Rating:  “I am your darkest hour, I am your fall from power”.   2.5/5

223. Fear Factory / Demanufacture. 1995. 3/5.

When Demanufacture was first released, there was a small uprising in the metal community in Sydney, where I was living at the time. Suddenly, in the music stores, in the pubs, in the music media, it was believed that Fear Factory were the biggest thing around, and were certain to be for some time.

Fear Factory were a band that I took a long time to warm to. When this album came out I was in a different area musically, and this didn't excite me. It was a new wave of metal, and at the time I think I was trying to fight that.

Now? Well, as I'm sure I have said before, I can appreciate it for what it is, and enjoy it for that. It's nice to be a bit older and not concerned about the elitism I used to put on what music was 'cool' and what was 'not'.

My favourites from Demanufacture include Self Bias Resistor, Piss Christ, Flashpoint and Zero Signal. I do NOT know what they were thinking with A Therapy For pain. That just seems painful.

Rating : Middle of the road. 3/5.

222. Black Sabbath / Dehumanizer. 1992. 4.5/5.

The reformation of the Mark II line-up, restoring Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice to the band with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler was an announcement that surprised most of us. Of course, Sabbath had come off the back of three albums with Tony Martin fronting vocals, to critical if not popular acclaim, while Dio had come off Lock Up The Wolves, which had received little acclaim anywhere.

The result was Dehumanizer, and is a brilliant 'comeback' in anyone's terms. This is an angrier album than one would have imagined, Ronnie spitting lyrics out throughout the album with more gusto than he perhaps ever has. The growling guitars of Tony and Geezer set the Sabbath mood beautifully, and the songwriting, as always with these three, is superb.

Though the whole album is great, my personal favourites include Computer God, After All (The Dead), Master Of Insanity and I.

The fact that this partnership dissolved after only one release, due to the infamous Reunion gig of the original Sabbath with Ozzy and Bill Ward at one of Ozzy's concerts on his “Farewell” Tour (proven wrong a thousand times over in the past 14 years), is a real shame. This album shows what this quartet could produce, and more examples of their work together would have been interesting to listen to.

Memories : The first music I heard off this album was Time Machine. It is the song that plays in the movie Wayne's World, just as the motorcycle cop pulls over Wayne when he is on his way to pledge his love for Cassandra.

Rating : Just short of the best that there is. Would another release have been better? Or less? 4.5/5.

221. Jerry Cantrell / Degradation Trip. 2002. 3/5.

This is Jerry's second solo album, released following the tragic death of Layne Staley effectively halted any plans for further Alice In Chains releases.

Jerry follows up his first release, Boggy Depot, with an album that is filled with songs with a bit more edge to them. One difference I noticed immediately with this was that Jerry doubles up on the vocals in most songs – to compensate for Layne's absence? I know that on Boggy Depot, this was what I missed most. Here, Jerry does a good job of utilising the harmony vocals that he and Layne shared so successfully by double-tracking them on himself.

OK, it doesn't grab me like the first two Alice In Chains albums did. That was a different era, and I guess I have moved on from that as well. But it is a good album, and Jerry is a great songwriter.

Favourites for me include Psychotic Break, Anger Rising, Angel Eyes and Hellbound.

Rating : Another solid release from Jerry. But has the Seattle sound finally left the building? 3/5.

220. Judas Priest / Defenders Of The Faith. 1984. 5/5.

Through the rise and fall of the Judas Priest musical catalogue by the time we had reached the mid-1980’s, one of the things that stuck out by the band was that they had a great ability to write memorable songs. Whether they were extended epics like “Beyond the Realms of Death”, fast and blistering songs such as “Exciter”, short and sharp singles like “The Ripper”, simple chant-inducing songs such as “Breaking the Law” or great cover versions like “Diamonds and Rust”, Priest had a knack of putting out albums with three or four memorable songs. Eventually you had to expect that they would put it all together and release an album that was all killer and no filler, one that showed off all parts of their amazing techniques. For me, Defenders of the Faith was the first time they were able to do this.

Not everyone agrees with this assessment of course. Many prefer the excellence of Screaming for Vengeance for instance and suggest that this album is just a continuation in the same direction that the previous album started. Others believe the pinnacle was the albums of the 1970’s. There is an argument that their best was yet to come, something with which I agree, but I think this album is one of the best that Priest ever released (so far). But what I like about this album is that all of the pieces fit together, and the album flows from one song to the next effortlessly and seamlessly. While there are the great songs that become the highlights of the album, the peaks are not so defined that they can be picked out easily.
The album opens with the brilliantly amazing “Freewheel Burning”, which has been one of my favourites since it was released. I spent an endless amount of time in those years in the mid-1980’s watching, dissecting and head banging along to the music video that was released for this song, fascinated by the studded armbands and belts, of Rob Halford’s amazing vocal range and of the dual guitars of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton blazing away. It was a teenagers dream, and the speed and ferocity of the track has never left me. The heavy start to the album continues into “Jawbreaker” which continues to dial in the guitars and Halford’s vocals hitting the high places again. Don’t for a second think that it is a coincidence that the energy of this album is defined by the way Rob brings in all the starring qualities of his voice. He drives these first two songs vocally, and as wonderful as the band is behind him he literally drags you into this album with his vocals. The slightly reduced tempo of “Rock Hard, Ride Free” does not bring this song down in any way. Utilising a typical hard rock tempo and rhythm this is a great follow up to the opening two tracks with a great chanting chorus that invites you to join in.
As brilliant and fantastic as I still believe “Freewheel Burning” to be, my absolute favourite song from the album is “The Sentinel” which is a hallmark of the greatest Judas Priest songs. It has everything that makes this band great. The speed and energy of the track is emphasised by the great rhythm section of Dave Holland’s drums and Ian Hill’s bassline running along in charging fashion. Paste onto this the undercurrent guitar riff and then solo pieces of Downing and Tipton who squeak and squeal in perfect transition, while Halford then pulverises the lyrics in perfect symphony, emoting every nuance from every word. It is a cacophony of excellence and still gives me shivers down my spine every time I hear it. A gem. It closes out one of the finest first halves of any album, ever.
While some believe the second half of the album lets down the first, I choose to consider that it is an almost impossible task to follow it, and as such the songs complement rather than detract from it. “Love Bites” is a slower tempo than what has come before it but still has some surprises to keep the listener interested. This is followed by “Eat Me Alive”, whose greatest claim to fame is that it became one of the songs that landed on the P.M.R.C’s “Filthy 15” song list that they believed should be banned for various reasons to do with sexual innuendo or violence. While the lyrics mightn’t be exceptional the songs itself is still entertaining. Following on from this is another Bob Halligan Jr. song, “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll”. This is a better song that the one Priest recorded for their previous album, which a much more anthemic feel to it. “Night Comes Down” reverts to a much slower and moodier pace, allowing Rob to again dominate the track with his amazing vocals. The album concludes with the AC/DC like “Heavy Duty” which segues nicely into the title track of “Defenders of the Faith” to complete a terrific album.
While the band has always sounded great, they have everything in order on this album. The guitars riffing and switching between solo licks from guitarist to guitarist is as impressive here as it had been to that point, and as mentioned earlier Halford’s vocals are in peak form, moving between pitches with ease.

This remains one of my favourite Judas Priest albums. It not only has the star attractions such as “Freewheel Burning” and “The Sentinel”, but the remaining tracks aren’t just filling up the cracks, they are players in themselves. Though one Priest album tops them all, this is very close to the top of the tree.

Rating: “Sworn to avenge, condemned to hell, tempt not the blade, all fear the Sentinel!” 5/5

219. Deep Purple / Deepest Purple. 1980. 4.5/5.

When the band had finally fallen on its sword, and the dust had finally settled, this best-of came to remind everyone how great they had been. Or to make a bucketload of cash. Yeah, probably the second one.

You can't argue about the material that is on this album. They are all genuine classics. And as this was released on vinyl originally, there are only so many tracks you can put on. And I don't want to get into an argument as to what should have made this final cut. So I won't.

Rating : For the same reason as I have had before, you can't get full marks if it isn't a PERFECT best-of! 4.5/5.

218. Deep Purple / Deep Purple. 1969. 2.5/5

This was Purps third album, and the final album that contained their first line-up.

From the time this was completed, it was obvious that a change in musical direction was necessary, or certainly prevalent.
Deep Purple as an album is very much based around the keyboards of John Lord, with Ritchie Blackmore's distinctive guitaring also in the mix, but certainly not at the forefront of the music. Even for the 1960's this music is quite bland. It is very flower-power-ish, without a great deal to get excited about. I can certainly appreciate it for what it is and from the time it comes from, but it is not what excites me about Deep Purple.

Rating : An interesting page in Deep Purple history. 2.5/5.

217. Motley Crue / Decade Of Decadence. 1991. 4.5/5.

Another band that reached the ten year anniversary in 1991 was Motley Crue, and to celebrate they produced this best-of album.

Containing most of their greatest hits, a few of them remixed, and a couple of new tracks, this album is a pretty good compilation of their first ten years on the music scene. The fact that they haven't been able to produce anything to match it since is perhaps a little disconcerting.

Once again, however, I must have my objection noted on some of the track choices. Seriously – where is Too Young To Fall In Love? One of their greatest tracks, and it isn't here? Why couldn't the rather horrible version of the Sex Pistol's Anarchy In The U.K. have been left off? It would have improved this release a lot! Did the band choose these tracks, or the record company? That is just one of the disappointments. The live version of Kickstart My Heart? Why not just the studio version?

Despite that, this is a good release. Someone who wanted to know what Motley Crue are about could start here and be satisfied. But come on guys – get this best-of scenario RIGHT!! :)

Rating : At least they didn't CALL it a best-of! 4.5/5.

216. Slayer / Decade Of Aggression. 1991. 5/5.

Though Slayer had released a live album before this came along, it was not anywhere near the sheer magnitude that this comes across on.

Decade Of Aggression was released as a celebration of ten years of Slayer, and was recorded on the Seasons In The Abyss tour. There could be no better time to record a live album for Slayer. They were on a high, their albums were selling through the roof, and they were bloody heavy.

This is a spectacular analysis of the band live. They are powerful and fast, with barely a break between songs to catch breath. Dave just goes off on the drums, Kerry and Jeff's guitars are blinding, while Tommy stands at the front and belts out his vocals while banging away on the bass.
What impresses me the most about this release is that there are no overdubs. What you hear is what was played on stage. And you know that, because Tom stuffs up the lyrics in War Ensemble, and the band just keeps on going. Perhaps overdubs on live albums have their place, but you buy a live album to hear how the band really sounds, not how they sound in a studio.

Memories : The day I bought this, Bono was in the market for a stereo, so he had Kearo, Anthony, Shane, Holzy and me following him around to different stores as he tried to find a bargain. When it came to trying them out, he hadn't bought a CD that day – so it was Decade Of Aggression, pumping through the departments in David Jones, much to the chagrin of most of the customers on that Saturday afternoon.

Rating : One of the best three live albums ever released. A must have. 5/5.

215. Iron Maiden / Death On The Road. 2005. 5/5.

Given that Iron Maiden has basically admitted that they will never tour Australia again, this is as good as we are going to get it seems – a live album from every tour they do.

Yes, I am bitter about it. Surely the band is not short of cash. Surely they can afford a couple of shows at huge venues in Australia.

Anyway, I digress. Here is another Iron Maiden live album, and the quality is what you expect from Iron Maiden – fantastic. Recorded on the Dance Of Death tour, it contains numerous songs from that album – "Wildest Dreams", "Dance Of Death", "Rainmaker", "Paschendale", "No More Lies" and "Journeyman". While the album didn't always grab me, I must say that the songs do sound much better live, especially "Wildest Dreams", which I have always felt is rather weak.

OK – now the beef. Some of these songs surely need retiring from the live set. Only "Lord Of The Flies" remains from the Blaze era. If I was living in Europe, and seeing them every year (bastards!) I'd be sick to death of "Fear Of The Dark" and "Iron Maiden" and "Run To The Hills" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" – and perhaps even "The Trooper"! Come on guys, inject some new blood into the setlist!

Anyway, get over it Bill! This is another great Maiden live album, showcasing their amazing skills and talents. They are still the best around, the band that everyone must look up to as the greatest of all time.

Rating:  Another brilliant encapsulation of a live performance of this magnificent band.  5/5.

214. Scorpions / Deadly Sting : The Mercury Years. 1997. 4/5.

This is a 2 disc best-of compilation put out by Mercury after the Scorpions had move onto better pasture at another record company.

Best-of is such a subjective term, and for me, it doesn't really hold total water here. Though most of the songs on these two discs are great songs, there are some that have been left off, for whatever reasons that may be, and for that reason, it cannot be given full marks.
However, it is a worthy listen. Just not an ultimate greatest hits package, if that is what you are looking for.

Rating : Some of the best the Scorpions have released. 4/5.

213. Deep Purple / Days May Come And Days May Go : The 1975 California Rehearsals. 2000. 3/5.

A series of songs recorded during Deep Purple's rehearsals for the big California shows they put on in 1975 (the album of which has been reviewed earlier)

This to me is of historical significance only. I'm not a big fan of the long jam sessions some of these artists went on with. I'm not saying they aren't clever or intricate. They just bore me as a whole.
This is the kind of album you may listen to once or twice, and only ever bring it out again to reflect on with friends or new recruits. That's pretty much what I'll be doing.

Rating : Historical. 3/5.

212. Night Ranger / Dawn Patrol. 1982. 4/5.

Burned into my brain.This album is.

Night Ranger received so little exposure, certainly in Australia, that it is by pure luck that you can come across them. Moments in life are like that.
This is a gem of an album, the band's debut opus, containing everything that is right about this band, and what is so quintissential about them. Their sound is unashamedly 80's hair metal, so you would have to be a fan of the genre to like them. This is one of the best examples of the sound though.

The lineup is timeless, and the songs are too. Don't Tell Me You Love Me, At Night She Sleeps, Can't Find Me A Thrill, Penny and Night Ranger are classic examples of what this band could do. The 80's keyboards are just a cheesy reminder of what we listened to in the day, and took for granted. Gold.

Sure, this is another album that ranks highly because it was one that was ingrained during my high school years. But that will happen with most albums that grow on you in your formative years. This is well worth the time to listen to.

Rating : Hair metal heaven. 4/5.

211. Pink Floyd / The Dark Side Of The Moon. 1973. 1.5/5.

For as long as I can remember – and that goes back almost to the release of this album – Dark Side Of The Moon has been praised as one of the greatest works in music, an album that everyone must own, an album that everyone will appreciate.

Wrong.

I may not be the biggest Pink Floyd fan in the world, and certainly psychadelic music is not at the top of my most loved list, but I would certainly be able to appreciate an album that considered one of the best of all time. If this is it, then I am an incredibly bad judge.
I seriously do not care. This just doesn't cut it for me. To be honest, I don't know many people that do like it. Is it my generation? Or the musical choices of those who agree to hang around with me occasionally? There are many famously popular songs here, such as Money and Brain Damage, but they fail to save an average release.

No offense meant to all those out there who love this album, but for me... no.

Rating : Not anywhere near great. 1.5/5.

210. Helloween / The Dark Ride. 2000. 5/5.

This was a release that I was so amped up for, especially having heard a taste of what was coming from the internet. I was so amped, that when I finally got to Utopia to buy it, and they had sold out – except for the Collectors Box that had it for the price of $79.95, I bought that.
Was it worth it? Oh yes. Even WITHOUT the Zippo Helloween lighter it came with! :)

Finally, six albums after the legendary Keeper albums, Helloween had climbed the pinnacle once again. This is a return to the things that made Helloween great – heavy, melodic, great vocals, blistering drumming and guitaring.
Certainly, it was a turn towards the 'dark side'. The songs took on a darker edge than had been the case in recent efforts, and were overall heavier as well. It was an exciting time.

To listen to songs such as Mr Torture, Escalation 666, If I Could Fly, The Departed (Sun Is Going Down), I Live For Your Pain and The Dark Ride is to have your dreams answered. Sure, the last few albums had been good following the breakdown with Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Chameleon, but this was it, the reason why we had kept the faith in Helloween. For this album. Its strength and pure metalness.

Perhaps, on listening today, it is beginning to date a little. I guess it will always be stuck in this period of metal the way it is recorded, but this doesn't detract from its greatness.
What one can't understand is why Uli Kusch and Roland Grapow – two of the major contributors to the album – were sacked following this tour, allegedly because they were writing material that was too heavy for the band's direction. They went on to form the magnificent Masterplan, and Helloween recorded Rabbit Don't Come Easy. Two other tales to be told...

Rating : No collection is complete without this album. 5/5.

209. Gary Moore / Dark Days In Paradise. 1997. 1/5.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! ANOTHER GARY MOORE BLUES ALBUM!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!! MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating : 1/5. For musicianship.

208. Iron Savior / Dark Assault. 2000. 4/5

The next installment in the saga of Iron Savior... though if you are like me, you were just looking forward to the music...

My admiration for this band has been well publicised in this journal already, so I will refrain from going overboard. But they have once again excelled themselves with this product.

A list of my favourite songs here would no doubt include Never Say Die, Seek And Destroy, Dragons Rising, Made Of Metal, Eye Of The World and After The War.

Rating : I could continue gushing, but take my word for it – this album is the equal of all of their others, something rather unique in the metal world. 4/5.

207. Danzig / Danzig IV. 1994. 3.5/5.

Following up three terrific albums is not an easy thing to do, but Danzig and his offsiders do another great job here.

At the time it was released, I did what I have done a few times in my life. I listened to it a few times over during the first few days, then put it aside as I had other albums at the same time. As it turned out, IV was one that didn't come back out again for some time – years in fact. In that time, an album can either diminish or revitalise. In this instance, it revitalised.

So, here is another great Danzig album. Without sticking to the same formula precisely, the boys put together another great collection of songs, including Brand New God, Going Down To Die, Dominion, Bringer Of Death and Son Of The Morning Star.

Rating : Another excellent outing from Glenn, though from here, it was mostly downhill. 3.5/5.

206. Danzig / Danzig III : How The Gods Kill. 1992. 4/5.

Sometimes during your life an album can burn a certain event or memory into your brain, so that everytime you listen to that album in the future, it takes you back to that time. How The Gods Kill does that for me. It spent weeks on my tape player when we owned the nursery in Kiama when it was first released, and I always imagine the place when I put this album on.

This was my introduction to Danzig, courtesy of Holzy, and it probably holds such an esteemed place in my heart for this reason. It must be an album of substance to take a hold when it is the early influence you hear of the band, and that is the case here. Danzig's vocals, along with the wonderful mood that the band put out there, make this a great experience.

Faves for me here include Godless, How The Gods Kill, Dirty Black Summer, Sistinas and Do You Wear The Mark.

Memories : Apart from those mentioned above, I saw Danzig at Selinas on this tour, which was quite an experience. Holzy saw Eerie Von in the crowd before the show, dragged us over while he spoke to him for about 30 minutes. Then, labouring on the track to the top of Minnamurra Falls at that time of my career, and having done a looooooong week, I managed to miss the last half hour of the concert, as I fell asleep on the floor of the top deck of the venue, despite the loudness of what was happening around me. Sensational stuff...

Rating : I still love it after all these years. 4/5.

205. Danzig / Danzig. 1988. 4/5.

The first release by Glenn Danzig's new band, and he really puts the gems in here.

Though it is not the first Danzig album I heard, it nonetheless impressed the hell out of me when I finally got around to getting a copy of it. I must admit that I was sceptical of the band before I heard any of their work. Having finally gotten a hold of this, their debut album, I was suitably satisfied.

Works that should be heared by the masses include Twist Of Cain, She Rides, Am I Demon and Mother.

Rating : A good place to start in the appreciation of Danzig. 4/5.

204. Lita Ford / Dangerous Curves. 1991. 3.5/5.

Moving into the new decade, Lita came out with this, a pretty damn good example of a solid hair metal/hard rock album.

Its style is not as sugary as her previous two efforts had been. On Dangerous Curves she has stuck primarily to delivering hard rock songs ala Bon Jovi and Motley Crue, with good choruses backed by good background vocals (Jeff Scott Soto and Joe Lynn Turner, for goodness sakes!!!). There is nothing startling here, just good solid rock in Lita's indominatable style.

There is a bounty of great songs on here. Larger Than Life, Shot Of Poison, Playin' With Fire, Hellbound Train, Black Widow, Little Too Early and Holy Man are wonderful examples of what Lita could do at the peak of her powers.
It really is a shame that she decided to pull out of the industry following this. Though her spotlight was being shared by this time, with the arrival of bands like Vixen on the scene, she was still quite clearly the leader in her genre.

Rating : For fans of the era and the genre, this is a fun album to listen to. 3.5/5.

203. Ratt / Dancing Undercover. 1986. 3/5.

No easy task to follow two albums that did so well as Out Of The Cellar and Invasion Of Your Privacy. Especially when they were two of the first albums you produce!

You can expect more of the same here from Ratt. They have barely changed a thing from those two best sellers, and who could blame them. By doing so, they produce another pleasantly easy listening record. They also label themselves as a band who have yet to extend themselves beyond their comfort zone. Some people find this OK, others find it disturbing.

No matter in this instance. Dancing Undercover is classic Ratt. Listen out for songs like One Good Lover, Drive Me Crazy, Slip Of The Lip, Take A Chance and It Doesn't Matter.

Rating : If you like Ratt and the hair metal scene, you'll like this too. 3/5.

202. Lita Ford / Dancin' On The Edge. 1984. 3/5.

The follow up to her first solo album Out For Blood still has that very 80's feel to it, moving away from the more 70's sound she had on that first release. What I still like about it is that it isn't over-produced, and still stays true to her roots.

Staying true to her hair metal style, it is love that dominates her song lyrics, but not in a way that makes you want to turn off. Not only can Lita sing, but she can play as well.

Favourites for me include Gotta Let Go, Dressed To Kill, Fire In My Heart and Run With The $.

Rating : An early taste of the hair metal movement. 3/5.

201. Iron Maiden / Dance Of Death. 2003. 4/5.

High hopes were held for this album prior to its release. The band had now been back together for four years, released a 'comeback' album (Brave New World), toured most of the world extensively, and had a little break before bringing this out. On our front, we hoped for heavy songs that utilised the three guitarists in more intricate modes than had ever been heard before.

Well... we didn't really get that...

On reflection this evening, I must say that to me there are great gaping chunks on this album, which is surprising given the writers and performers. In a lot of ways, I think they were trying to get a little too cute with this, experimenting and playing some stuff that they don't usually tackle.

"Wildest Dreams", the album opener and first single, just doesn't cut it for me. It is easily the worst opening track on an Iron Maiden album ever, and though it was up against some tough competition in this category, surely someone must have noticed its weakness. "No More Lies", "Montsegur", "Age Of Innocence" – they don't do a lot for me personally.

Of the two epics on the album, the title track "Dance Of Death" has a great deal of support from friends of mine as a great song. I don't see it that way. I think it is over-indulgent. The same with "Journeyman", the soft acoustically driven closer, which disappoints me greatly. I'm not spitting on them, just voicing my concerns.

Flip to the other side of the coin. "Rainmaker" is a brilliant Maiden song, pacey and vibrant. "New Frontier" is in the same vein. "Paschendale" is an epic up there with "Rime of The Ancient Mariner", "To Tame A Land" and "Alexander The Great". "Face In The Sand" continues that vibe on the album.

As I intimated on my review of Brave New World, I guess I judge Maiden albums more harshly because of who they are, and what they have done in the past. I can see and hear the holes in this album, but I still appreciate it for what it is.

Rating:  This was still in my CD players for six months after its release, so it can't be too bad, can it?  4/5.

200. Alice Cooper / Da Da. 1983. 1/5.

Oh. My. God.
WHAT was going on here?!?!

Seriously – I cannot imagine what was being thought when this was written and recorded. This is one of the most famous bands/vocalists/personalities in the history of music, and this is one steaming pile of crap.
I don't like to be that harsh, but it really is ordinary. Toward the end of the album, there are a couple of songs that show the real Alice, but it doesn't come anywhere near making up for what came before it.

Rating : YIKES! 1/5.

199. The Cult / The Cult. 1994. 1/5.

Oh dear. This was a MAJOR disappointment.
Of course, you can build yourself up too much for a new release, and I probably did with this album. It had been awhile since I had listened to The Cult by this time, and when I heard they had a new album coming out, I was amped.

Error.

This is dreadfully boring. It has no real rhythm to it, nothing in the way of a hook to drag you in and make you want to stay. Did they really want to do the album? Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy went their seperate ways for a number of years after this album. Maybe they had just reached that stage of their careers, in the same way Faith No More did.

Memories : This came out in 1994, just as The Cult announced they were headlining the Big Day Out that year. I was very excited... until I had the album. A couple of weeks later, Helen and I along with our friends Troy and Janet were unable to procure tickets to the event. I was not even concerned about it having put this CD on!

Rating : Sorry. I can't like this at all. 1/5.

198. Megadeth / Cryptic Writings. 1997. 4/5.

Some fans had issues with the Youthanasia album because of its divergence from what many saw as the quintessential Megadeth sound. That intensified with the release of Cryptic Writings which takes even more liberties than the previous two albums. The question asked at the time was could Megadeth fans move with the way the band was heading?

Unlike the previous album my initial memories of this album were all good. I got drawn in by the opening two tracks in particular, “Trust” and “Almost Honest”. I like the moody opening of “Trust” and the build into the heart of the song. I still think the break in the middle of the song, which had become a bit of a Mustaine thing to do, was probably beyond its lifetime, but the song itself is still one I like. So too with “Almost Honest”, which again has a varied mood all the way through than what previous Megadeth songs and albums but it’s one I can get on board with.
Whether or not you think there is an issue with the songs through the middle of the album is going to be a matter of personal taste. “Use the Man” has a sludgy pace to start off with before exploding towards the close of the track. “Mastermind” is probably the least exciting of this crop of songs but that’s not to say it is a bad song, it just doesn’t inspire much excitement. “The Disintegrators” is one of the fastest songs on the album, with Nick Menza having to get out second gear for the first time in a while. It’s actually a pretty underrated song, showcasing the dual soloing from Mustaine and Friedman in a speed that better reflects what most people enjoy from Megadeth songs. “I’ll Get Even” is a similar track to “Use the Man”, understated with quieter Mustaine vocals until the chorus comes around, which does tend to repeat too often. “Sin” and “Have Cool, Will Travel” are only on the good side of average
On the other hand “A Secret Place” has always been a favourite. This goes the same for “She-Wolf”, though it was in a roundabout fashion for me. I always felt it was an average song until I heard it live on a subsequent tour, where it was one of the stand out songs on the playlist. From that moment on it became one of my favourite Megadeth songs of their later years, and it does feel like a star attraction here.

After an extended period when I played this album constantly for a good four month period and probably had stars in my eyes because of the band that recorded it, It hasn’t been one that I’ve gone back to very often in the years since. In the long run that only means that it isn’t one of my favourite four or five Megadeth albums, and that certainly is true enough. Despite that, and the obvious change in style that this album has compared to previous releases, I still get plenty out of it every time I decide to give it a spin again.

Rating: "Beware the she-wolf and her bite”. 4/5.

197. Bon Jovi / Crush. 2000. 2/5.

After a brilliant start, this album really is a let down. Which is a shame.

Bon Jovi, when they are at their best, really mix rockers and ballads well. Here on Crush, they have gone a long way overboard. Most of the songs here are slow, reflective love songs, aimed squarely at the hearts of women between the age of 16-40.

This is a real shame. It's My Life is one of my favourite Bon Jovi songs of all time, and was an extremely successful single for them in this country. And yet it is the only song of its type on the album. Strange and disappointing.

Rating : Certainly should have been better. 2/5.

196. Halford / Crucible. 2002. 2/5.

Gosh.
As an artist, it truly must be a difficult thing to keep coming up with songs that not only satisfy your own tastes and need to evolve, but to satisfy your fans and not disillusion them.

I came into this after Halford's brilliant Resurrection album, one that got him back to his true metal roots, and tore apart the world. Here, Rob and his collaborators have gone down a side track, and tried to do something a little bit different, perhaps to satisfy their own bents.
What gets me about this release is that it seems like history is repeating itself. When he left Priest, and formed Fight, the first album was a corker, the second a piece of mishmash that tried to get too clever and experimental. Then he went into Two, which was just worse.

That is how Crucible sounds to me. They had a winning formula, but just decided to chuck it out the window and go in another direction.

Rating : A very difficult album to like, despite still being a heavy metal record. 2/5.

195. Bon Jovi / Cross Road. 1994. 4.5/5.

This is Bon Jovi's best-of album, and as such it contains all of their great hits as at the time of its release.
Along with that, of course, are great memories.

To me, you could almost have packaged Slippery When Wet and New Jersey together and you would have had the best of. The addition of Blaze Of Glory, which is Jon Bon Jovi solo track from the movie Young Guns is a little strange, but I guess when you are on a good thing, actual band or solo release can be successfully blurred.

Rating : So OK, why not full marks? Well, best-of or not-best-of, there are a couple of tracks here that I just do not enjoy. So you can't give it 100% can you? 4.5/5.

194. Black Sabbath / Cross Purposes Live. 1995. 4/5.

Recorded live on the Cross Purposes tour, this live album gives the world the opportunity to hear the band live with Tony Martin on vocals, which is a treat in itself.

Comprising material from all three main formations of Sabbath, this live album puts to bed the one remaining problem Sabbath had – a live album covering the Martin era.
The album includes songs off the latest Sabbath installment, as well as a couple of tunes from The Headless Cross, as well as the obligatory Dio and Ozzy era songs.
I've said before that I like Tony Martin. Maybe not all of the material they wrote while he was the lead singer, but you can't knock his singing. This album shows that he can cut it live as well.

Rating : Sabbath is Sabbath! 4/5.

193. Black Sabbath / Cross Purposes. 1994. 3/5.

Following the disintegration of the reformed Mark II line-up after just the one album (Dehumanizer), Tony Martin returned to the fold to continue his part of the Sabbath legacy. This album was the result.

For the most part, this is really enjoyable. I mean, this is still Sabbath! It is still Iommi, and Butler, and Martin has done three albums with them before this! 75% of the album is the traditional modern Sabbath sound. You can't go into this thinking it will be anything else.
Martin's vocals are still terrific. He sounds eerily like his predecessor, Ronnie James Dio, especially on the final track, What's The Use (the track in fact sounds as though it was written by Dio...).

I would, however, like to know what they were thinking when they wrote the track Virtual Death. I am not kidding here when I say that this sounds like it has been taken straight off an Alice In Chains album – the guitaring and the vocals. Surely someone noticed this? Why do something this radical that sounds so similar to another band's work? Strange.

Not a bad effort from a great band, though coming on the heels of the brilliant Dehumanizer, it is difficult not to be disappointed in comparison.
My favourites include I Witness, Cross Of Thorns, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle and What's The Use.

Rating : You can't go into this album thinking it will sound like the classics with Ozzy or Dio, but you can still appreciate it for what it is. 3/5.

192. Hammerfall / Crimson Thunder. 2002. 2.5/5

Maybe they've run their course as a band. Perhaps their style has just worn thin. I don't really know for sure. But one thing I do know is that this doesn't work they way previous albums do.

Note this however. It is not that their style has changed. Crimson Thunder is unashamedly a Hammerfall album. You could barely mistake it for anything else. And no doubt the band's biggest followers will enjoy this album too.
The thing about that is that I considered myself to be a big fan of the band, and this really didn't tickle anything in me. That has certainly been the case with other bands though, so maybe this is just their one aberration. Maybe...

One thing I must also make clear – Joacim Cans still holds his own as a vocalist. He lets no one down here once again.

Rating : Not quite up to the standard I would expect. 2.5/5

191. KISS / Creatures Of The Night. 1982. 3/5.

After a period of trouble, with shrinking sales and shrinking audiences, Ace Frehley jumped ship, and a change to the band that had ruled the 70's was needed. For the album, three session guitarists were used. One of those, Vinnie Vincent, became the touring band guitarist as well.

There seems to be a real effort to get back to their rock roots on this album, and for the most part it succeeds. Songs like Creatures Of The Night, Killer, Keep Me Coming and War Machine are very much closer to the KISS I love than stuff they had released prior to this. It doesn't all come together, but there is enough on this record to suggest they were back on track.

Vinnie Vincent didn't hang around long, which was somewhat of a shame. He seemed to give that extra kick at a vital time in theis band's history. His long-term contributions would have been interesting.

Rating : KISS back to something like their best. 3/5.

190. Scorpions / Crazy World. 1990. 3/5.

This album put the Scorpions back on the map in regards to world renown, though for many fans was something that dragged them out of their circle and into one that they didn't want to enter.
Containing the smash worldwide hit, Wind Of Change, coinciding with the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the crumbling of communism and the U.S.S.R, this sold millions as a single, and helped to cross over into album sales as well.

This is another straight-down-the-road Scorpions album. It doesn't contain anything startlingly new. All the songs are traditional Scorpions songs, which will either grab you or not. My favourites include Don't Believe Her, Wind Of Change and Send Me An Angel.

Memories : When this came out, I was of the belief that Scorps had sold out, and refused to buy the album. I don't even think it was that I disliked Wind Of Change – just the fact that it was all over the radio, and all of my pop music loving friends kept coming up saying how GREAT Scorpions were. The stupidity I showed on this occasion has been repeated before and since... :)

Rating : Not a brilliant album by any stretch, but one that can be listened to easily. 3/5.

189. KISS / Crazy Nights. 1987. 4/5.

Oh, how I used to listen to this album! Days... weeks...months on end.
And is it really that good? Well, probably not. But it was my first ever KISS album, and though I knew of KISS songs, this was the first fully fledged album I owned, and I just adored it. Cheesy 80 metal guy that I am.

Here then is Crazy Nights. KISS without makeup, making on their own, Bruce Kulick on guitar. And it is great, though I must admit that it is feelings of the nostalgia that it summons up that drives this passion I have for the album.
In fact, the songs on this album almost never get mentioned when it comes to the band's greatest hits, which I think is a shame.

My favourites here include Crazy Crazy Nights, I'll Fight Hell To Hold You, My Way, Reason To Live and Turn On The Night.

Memories : Stuck on the other side of Alice Cooper's Constrictor, this tape died a death of many playings. It was a regular on my journey's to and from Uni. Also living by the rule at the time of Paul Stanley's vocals - “I'm gunna talk like I talk, walk like I walk, My Way...”

Rating : Still sounds great after all these years. 4/5.

188. Megadeth / Countdown To Extinction. 1992. 5/5.

I really don't know how you sit down and try and write a follow up to Rust In Peace. Where do you even begin? Anyway, the lads did sit down, and this is what they came up with – the brilliant Countdown To Extinction.

Without straying too far from the familiar and successful formula, Megadeth have diversified enough to make this not only a great album, but an intersting one to boot. Dave's speaking role to himself throughout Sweating Bullets (“Hello me! Meet the real me!”), and the stinging lyrics on life's troubles in songs like Foreclosure Of A Dream, This Was My Life, Countdown To Extinction and Symphony Of Destruction is a window on the world as the band sees it. Dave has always been great at fighting the world's wrongs through his lyrics, but he is especially pissed off this time around.

Retaining the same quartet as played on Rust In Peace – for the first time in the band's history – enhanced this release no end. Ellefson bass is always great, but retaining Nick Menza's drumming and Marty Freidman's superb guitaring really tops this off.

Memories : Megadeth were supposed to tour Australia on this album, but cancelled about two weeks before the event. They didn't return for almost ten years, and that hurt! I also had this on a cassette with Danzig's How The Gods Kill on the other side, and it got a hammering when they were first released when I was working in our nursery in Kiama's Terrace houses.

Rating : Top shelf heavy metal. 5/5.

187. Gary Moore / Corridors Of Power. 1982. 3.5/5

Having dabbled in a few bands over the years, including Thin Lizzy, this was Gary's second solo album since his conscious effort to concentrate on his own material. Following up Back On The Streets, this album progresses further along the path he was ready to tread.

There is a lot of strong material here, some of it in the classic class. Don't Take Me For A Loser, Gonna Break My Heart Again and End Of The World are good solid Gary Moore songs.
It's the really good songs that get you going, though. Wishing Well is one of his all time classics. Rockin' Every Night sits in that class as well. Surprisingly, the best sounding song on Corridors is the ballad I Can't Wait Until Tomorrow, which Gary pulls off to perfection. I may not be a big fan of ballads, but this is one of my favourites.

This album started a six year stretch where Gary Moore took the world by storm with his rock guitar. Perhaps he had more success with his blues, but to me this was the start of his greatness.

Rating : The start of something big. 3.5/5.

186. Velvet Revolver / Contraband. 2004. 4/5.

Within 60 seconds of putting this album on tonight I was thinking, “Why the hell do I not listen to this more often?!”
The beginning of the album is so catchy, you are immediately drawn into it. That is what you want your opener to do, because it is selling the rest of the album.

The debut from this 'supergroup', combining the talents of Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots, and Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum from Guns 'N' Roses, is an absolute pearler. The speculation about how this album was going to sound was rife for months after its announcement. Would the new band mix well? Could they write great songs together? Would they sound like G'N'R, or STP? Could Weiland stay off the gear long enough to tour?

Have no fear, it all slips into place. The album is terrific, Weiland's vocals are magnificent, and the band perform as well as they ever have. Hearing Slash's signature guitar solo's again is a treat, and Sorum's drumming as good as it has ever been. No doubt there will be comparisons to the two groups with which they share history, but the music stands alone as Velvet Revolver's.

Favourites for me include Sucker Train Blues, Do It For The Kids, Spectacle and Set Me Free.

Rating : One of the releases of the decade so far. Let's hope they can follow it up. 4/5.

185. Y&T / Contagious. 1987. 3/5.

Continuing on in the same vein as they had for most of the decade, Y&T brought out this next chapter to the sound of a brick falling on concrete – an enormous thud.

Is this album that much different to their others. Well, not at all if you are asking me. Y&T produced a series of albums that were all in the same style, of the 80's hair metal variety, and they didn't really stray from their formula – and as it was successful, why would you?
After a diet of the same thing for so long, though, perhaps people decided enough was enough.
I know that listening to this album again tonight, I felt it was struggling to offer anything new, and that the old it was offering was just a little stale.
Having said that, I still enjoy this album, and perhaps that is more from a nostalgic point of view than anything else.

Favourites for me include Contagious, Fight For Your Life, Armed And Dangerous and Eyes Of A Stranger.

Memories : I bought this in 1988 at Illawarra Books & Records (second hand store), not long after I had first purchased Mean Streak. I played it endlessly for about a month. I loved the vinyl days. I prefer the sound from a CD, but nothing beat buying an album, and going over the inlays and stuff for the first time.

Rating : Still an average album for the times. 3/5.

184. Alice Cooper / Constrictor. 1986. 5/5.

It was three years between the release of DaDa and his following album, which became Constrictor. He had done some acting, and wrote a couple of songs for such shows, and appeared on the Twisted Sister track “Be Chruel to Your Scuel”. In 1985 he met up with guitarist composer Kane Roberts and began to write material together, which eventually became the basis of the Constrictor” album. Roberts’ guitaring was a much heavier version of what had come on Alice’s last few albums, and it was this that brought Alice Cooper back into prominence and focus. With the onset of heavy metal and the influence of the genre coming to the fore, Kane Roberts guitaring set the tone for the album and the ability for the music to grab the attention of the teenagers of the world. Along with the addition of David Rosenberg on drums, and a young Kip Winger on bass and backing vocals, Alice Cooper was ready to announce his return to the music scene in a big way.

The great thing about this album is that it is lively, it is up-tempo, it is fun. It’s gets you up and it gets you moving. All albums have a different mood and energy about them and this one mixes the best of Alice’s faux horror themes with his usual great story telling. The album is book-ended by the first kind of songs, with “Teenage Frankenstein” and “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)”. “He’s Back” was written for the soundtrack of ”Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives” as the main lead in song, and “Teenage Frankenstein” also appeared in the film. Both are atypical Alice songs of his second great era. Tongue is firmly planted in cheek, great lyrics and both songs create the atmosphere they are looking for. “He’s Back” is perfect in that respect, even now it completely reminds you of 80’s B grade horror films with the way it sounds, beautiful.
The song “The Great American Success Story” was written for the Rodney Dangerfield movie “Back to School”, but for some reason never appeared in it. The lyrics are all about the plot of the movie so it is strange that it eventually didn’t get used. I love that movie, and the song as a result.
When Alice writes an anthem, it is always a good one, and “The World Needs Guts’ is one of my favourites. He always writes them as though he is talking to you through the speakers. You can almost see him standing there pointing at you as he sings, calling on you to act.
From all reports, “Trick Bag” was a reworked version of the original demo of “He’s Back”, and if you listen hard to the start of the song you can actually catch some similarities.

The way I like to describe this album is that it is a party album. It fits that time in the mid-1980’s, and the mix of horror films, like the Friday the 13ths and the Nightmare on Elm Streets, and ‘coming-of-age’ teenage films of the time, films like “The Breakfast Club” and “St Elmo’s Fire”, the films where a bunch of school friends get together and party on. That’s how this album sounds to me, and what it reminds me of. It reminds me of those high school years and partying with my friends, in the lounge room, with the stereo cranking – and this is the album that comes to me. Where else would you stand around singing lyrics like you find on these songs, lyrics like “Where were you when the monkey hit the fan, thrill my gorilla!” and “But what’s that in your eyes, I’m no longer paralysed, here we go again” and “He’s got the time, he’s got the money, better get out of his way better watch out for him sonny”.

I absolutely adored this album when it first came out. At the time I knew who Alice Cooper was, and I knew some of his more famous songs, such as “School’s Out” and “Only Women Bleed” and “You and Me”, all of which had been radio hits when I was growing up. This was the first Alice Cooper album I actually owned outright, and the one that taught me how being fun and just a little silly with your lyrics and music could be a great thing.
I loved every damned thing about it, and to this day I will stand to defend its honour against those who consider it ‘average’ simply because it is the way it is. I am happy for people to rail against my thoughts of how good the album is. I understand when critics of it say the lyrics are hokey and dim-witted, that the music is very much tied to the era it was written and recorded, and that Alice had much more meaningful albums both before and after this one. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I completely understand why those of the earlier generation love the early albums, and why those of my own generation are much more enamoured by the glitz and glamour of Trash. And I also understand why those of the future generations find this album far too much like 1980’s hair metal to enjoy with any real substance.

But this album to me is a ripper, as is the follow up Constrictor. And both albums have to be taken from the point of view of the era and time they were written. Both saw the revitalisation of Alice Cooper both as a man and an artist. The great work of Kane Roberts and Kip Winger here is extremely undervalued. And while much of the material has that 80’s synth and keyboard as its basis, I can tell you from experience that when they are played live with 3 guitars taking that keyboard out of the mix, these songs rock as hard as anything else Alice and his co-writers over the years have written.

This was Alice’s comeback, and a great one it was. The Constrictor album was a catalyst for Cooper to make a triumphant return to the road for the first time since the 1981 Special Forces album, on a tour appropriately entitled The Nightmare Returns. This continues to be one of my all time favourite Alice Cooper albums. Indeed, it could well be my favourite. It is one I will continue to play under the day I am no longer here to do so.

183. The Offspring / Conspiracy Of One. 2000. 4/5.

The Offspring continue with their consistent album releases with this album. Continuing in the same vein as their previous three albums, Conspiracy Of One combines their punk roots with hard rock speed, and a touch of humour to top it all off.

The lads have been very good once again in their ability to fuse a hit single, a couple of anthems, and other various arrangements, into the one album without detracting from each other. No doubt most fans of the band are pleased with their ability to do this so well. Over the years, without compromising their style, they have managed to win over fans of all persuasions, something that must be extremely difficult to do.

Favourites for me from the album include Come Out Swinging, Original Prankster and Million Miles Away.

Rating : Still on a roll. 4/5.

182. Iron Savior / Condition Red. 2002. 4/5.

Another excellent release from this concept band, the fourth in the series about the fictional story of Iron Savior.

This was the first album the band put out without Kai Hansen, but as much as he was the reason I bought the first album of this band in the first place, this album stands alone without his influence. Of course, Piet Sielk has always been the ringleader of Iron Savior, and this is another great example of his work.

You don't have to know the story being told here to enjoy the album. In fact, ignore all of the past history of the band, and enjoy the album as a singular entity, and it won't lose anything in comparison. The “continuing story” may be important to some fans. To me however, the music and the songs are all that matter, and here they continue to be of the highest standard.

My favourites from the album include Titans Of Our Time, Protector, Condition Red, Walls Of Fire, No Heroes and Thunderbird.

Rating : More great power metal. 4/5.

181. Yngwie J. Malmsteen / Concerto Suite For Electric Guitar And Orchestra In Flat Minor Op. 1. 1998. 4/5.

The hiring of orchestras must have gotten extremely cheap at around this time. Deep Purple had of course done it as far back as the late 1960's, but would revive it again very shortly. Scorpions not only went acoustic, they also took part in an operatic symphony. For goodness sake – even Metallica had a go at it!!

Of course, these were all performed live on stage and recorded for their release.

Yngwie went another way. He wrote his own concerto, and took everyone into the studio and recorded it. It is original, gives you further scope to appreciate the wonderful talent of Yngwie, both in writing and playing. This is of course more a classical release, but when you listen to Yngwie's stuff (especially his early work), isn't that all classical guitar as well?

Rating : An excellent and original release from one of the finest guitarists ever. 4/5.

180. Deep Purple / Come Taste The Band. 1975. 4/5.

This was the final release from the band before internal pressures finally brought the group to a conclusion. Ritchie Blackmore had by now even left, going on to form the equally legendary Rainbow, leaving only Ian Paice and John Lord from the early years of the band.

Still, with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes still on board, and the addition of Tommy Bolan, this album is still great, and made very much in the Deep Purple tradition.
It was not to everyone's liking at the time, and didn't perform well on the charts, thus leaving the group to finalise their agreement. Tragically Bolan, who was described as either brilliant or a shambles during live performances following this album, died of a drug overdose following this.

My favourites from the album include Lady Luck, Getting' Tighter, Dealer, Drifter and You Keep On Moving.

Rating : Despite its poor reputation, I still think it is a worthy entry into the Deep Purple legend. 4/5.

179. Twisted Sister / Come Out And Play. 1985. 3/5.

Given that it was always going to be a pretty tough ask to follow up an album like Stay Hungry, this is something that needed a little bit more.

To the band's credit, they have tried to mix it up here, and not follow the same formula that brought them the success on their previouos album. This is good – but it could have used a bit more of the inspiration that came from that release.
One thing that always puzzled me was the cover version of the 1960's song Leader Of The Pack. OK, they do it well, but does it have a place here? And why bother really?

My favourites from the album include Come Out And Play, Out On The Streets, Looking Out For #1 and Kill Or Be Killed.

Rating : Half of the album is a worthy follow up, the other half missed the boat. 3/5.

178. Iron Maiden / The Clairvoyant [Live] [Single] 1988. 5/5.

Released as companion pieces to the Maiden England video in 1988, these three songs were recorded live on the Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour, and are truly magnificent renditions.

“The Clairvoyant” is the title track of the live single, from the album which was being toured on at the time, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. This was supported by two other songs of which we had no previous live recording of, which makes the single all the more worthwhile. “The Prisoner” from The Number of the Beast is a beauty, and was all the more excellent on a personal view as at the time it was released the band that I was playing in had decided to play this song. Awesome. This was then complemented by “Heaven Can Wait”, the brilliant crowd anthem that had been adapted from the Somewhere in Time album into a sing along chorus that also eventually made it into the song list of the band I was in.

This is the epitome of a great single. Three great songs, on this occasion all live versions, at a time that no other live recorded version exited of them. Made it all the more worthwhile to plonk down my hard earned to buy it.

Rating:  A brilliant example of a great 12” single.  5/5

177. Foo Fighters / The Colour And The Shape. 1997. 5/5.

What do you do when you have gone out on your own and formed your own band after the demise of your former band, and have had a positive response to your first release?
Well... you follow it up with a humdinger!

This is a remarkable mix of rock, ballads, metal, soft, hard – you name it, and you will find it on this album. Dave Grohl has put everything into this album, and the results are there for everyone to listen to.

From the fury of Monkey Wrench, to the hard and soft of Hey, Johnny Park! From the fast and slow halvings of Up In Arms to the majesty of Everlong. From the beauty of February Stars to the rambling closer in My Way Home. This is as diverse an album as you are likely to find, and it stamped the Foo Fighters as one of the best bands in the world heading through to the end of the millenium.

Memories : I saw the Foo Fighters on this tour at the Roundhouse in Sydney, and it was awesome. They played pretty much every song off their first two albums, Dave even got up and played duelling drums. Just a sensational show. The only song they couldn't pull off was Everlong, as Taylor just couldn't play 16/4 on the drums that quick that long. It was early in the tour though, so I'm sure he sorted it out.

Rating : The best the Foo Fighters have produced, and well and truly put the Nirvana comparison to bed. 5/5.

176. Ratt / Collage. 1997. 2/5.

This is an interesting release, given that it appears as though it was brought out in lieu of a new album while the band was touring on its heralded Reunion Tour back in 1997. It is a collection of B-sides and alternate recordings, along with versions of songs from the Mickey Ratt days, the band which was a precursor to the band we now know as Ratt.

This album is about as far away as you could get from the style that Ratt played in what many consider to be their heyday, back in the mid to late 80's.
In a similar way that L.A. Guns moved on from the hair metal phase to a heavier, more modern style of metal, on this album Ratt has also made the 'transformation' here on Collage. This may be a direct result of the majority of the material actually being older rather than new material. It probably isn't as successful though.
The album does grow on you in time, but it takes a little getting used to, especially if you are an aficionado of their classic albums. Collage has a grungier metal feel, which works fine for the most part. Some of the songs begin to repeat themselves too much, and despite the relative shortness of the songs sometimes feel as though they are dragging on too long.

That's not to say that it's all bad. The bulk of the album, including "Diamond Time Again", "Dr Rock", "Ratt Madness" and "Hold Tight" are all good songs, showcasing the best that the band has to offer. Stephen Pearcy's vocals are still as good as ever, find that middle range that makes him unique, while Warren De Martini's guitaring continues to be a starring role. I think the last few songs on the album are a letdown, especially the final song "Lovin' You" which has a rap mix to it ("Fonix Mix" is how it is labelled), which is really out of place on a Ratt album.

As a place in the Ratt history I guess this has a place to satisfy for hard core fans. For most, they will see it for the 'tour filler' it was, hoping to make  few extra bucks from their Reunion Tour, and bypass it most of the time when they reach for an album to play.